Henzodaily.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 7 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international events
Albuquerque, United States – Two Nigerian nationals have been found guilty of defrauding an Albuquerque resident of $560,000 in the United States of America.
The Department of Justice on Monday, January 6 identified the suspects as Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja, 39, and Abel Adeyi Daramola, 37.
The suspects will remain on conditions of release pending sentencing
Photo credit: Area Tatafo
Source: UGC
The suspects used a fake profile on the dating website eHarmony.com to start a romantic relationship with the victim.
This is based on court documents and evidence presented at the four-day trial, Yahoo News reports.
Ogunlaja and Daramola each face up to 20 years in prison if sentenced by the court.
The Nigerian men collected money from the victim claiming to use it to complete a construction project in Malaysia.
They claimed it will allow them to return safely to the United States.
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According to Department of Justice, the victim sent approximately $560,000 to various accounts in the United States, Canada, and Malaysia between January 2016 and April 2017.
The suspects will remain on conditions of release pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
Henzodaily.ng recalls that Oludayo Adeagbo, a 45-year-old Nigerian-British man, was sentenced to seven years in U.S. prison for his role in a multi-million dollar business email compromise (BEC) scheme.
The BEC scam involves gaining unauthorized access to legitimate email accounts or creating fake accounts to deceive victims.
After being extradited from the UK in August 2022, Adeagbo pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy in both Texas and North Carolina.
US court sentences 2 Nigerians to 10 years imprisonment
Meanwhile, Henzodaily.ng reported that two Nigerians were sentenced to a combined jail term of 10 years over $6m fraud in the United States.
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The culprits operated a business email compromise scheme targeting US companies and elderly citizens.
According to court documents, the Nigerians masquerade as trustworthy entities in electronic communications to obtain money.
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Source: Henzodaily.ng